This invention pertains to medical devices for the care of wounds, and more particularly to a wound dressing securement device that securely holds a dressing on a wound and permits easy removal and interchange of the wound dressing.
A wound is generally manifested by a breach in the skin that may be due to injury or surgery. The healing process is normally promoted by treating the wound with an antiseptic and dressing the wound with a suitable bandage. The wound dressing is usually secured by applying a self-securing attachment member such as adhesive tape directly over the dressing.
As healing progresses it is often beneficial to periodically change the wound dressing. Thus the adhesive tape that secures the wound dressing must be removed, generally by peeling the tape from the skin in the area of the wound. In many instances, the peeling of adhesive tape from the area of the wound can irritate or aggravate a condition of soreness that is a common characteristic of a wound.
In order to minimize any discomfort and irritation that may accompany the change or removal of a wound dressing, it is well known to utilize wound dressing securement devices that do not require adhesive attachment of the dressing. One known wound dressing securement device includes a pair of remotely positioned adhesive strips with releasable ties or laces such as the Dermicel.RTM. Montgomery strap made by Johnson & Johnson. The adhesive strips are secured to the skin at a predetermined distance from opposite sides of a wound and have a marginal non-adhesive perforated portion for the lacing.
The wound dressing or bandage for the wound is held in place between the spaced adhesive strips by tying together the lacing that extends from each adhesive strip such that the tied lacing secures the wound dressing on the wound.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,423,731 shows a similar construction of two spaced adhesive strips with lacing bonded to the strips. The wound dressing is held in position on the wound beneath the tied lacing rather than being held in place by adhesive securement.
When the wound dressing is to be changed, the lacing is untied. The wound dressing can then be accessed and changed without the need to remove the oppositely disposed, remotely positioned adhesive strips or the untied lacing since they do not interfere with the changing of the wound dressing.
Thus the adhesive strips and lacing can be used again and again to secure each of the new replacement wound dressings. The prospect of wound irritation due to removal of self-securing adhesive attachment members such as adhesive tape, is thus eliminated since there is no need to undo an adhesive tape each time a wound dressing is changed.
As an alternative to using a Montgomery strap with lacing to secure the underlying wound dressing, it has been suggested by Johnson & Johnson that safety pins be inserted in the marginal perforations of each oppositely disposed adhesive strip. Opposing pairs of safety pins are hooked together by a rubber band to hold the underlying wound dressing in place. The wound dressing is accessed for replacement by opening the safety pins inserted in one of the adhesive strips to release the respective rubber bands.
Whether a wound dressing is secured by lacing or rubber bands, there must be separate manipulation of laces, rubber bands and safety pins each time a wound dressing is secured or accessed for replacement.
The manipulation of individual laces, safety pins and rubber bands whenever a wound dressing is changed is a time consuming procedure that can be discomforting to the patient and tedious to the caregiver. Occasionally a lacing must be retied or adjusted and a rubber band must be changed from one size to another before a desirable securement of the wound dressing is accomplished. Thus a supply of different sized rubber bands must be stocked.
Another wound dressing securement device which requires manipulation of individual connectors as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 363,538, includes a pair of adhesive strips, each having one hook or stud joined by a rubber band. Use of several pairs of the disclosed device is suggested for large wounds. This device thus requires tedious manipulation of adhesive strips and individual rubber bands.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,774,489 shows plaster strips for placement at opposite sides of a wound. Each strip includes an elongated metal bar formed with spaced hooks. The hooks of the opposing strips are laced together with a string. The metal bar in this device may be difficult to conform to curved portions of the anatomy, thus limiting the use of the device.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,196,296 shows three adhesive strips, two of which include a row of parallel threads. The third strip is used as a tensioning device for the threads to hold the wound dressing. This device is unduly complicated and requires detachment of one of the adhesive strips to change a wound dressing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,146 shows a frame-like adhesive member that employs releasable straps having Velcro.RTM. securements to hold a wound dressing. The Velcro.RTM. securements are in the form of small patches to avoid entanglement with the wound dressing and do not permit a wide range of adjustability.
It is thus desirable to provide a wound dressing support system that is simple and easy to manipulate, provides a wide range of adjustability and does not require separate tying and untying of individual securement points.